[divider]ATMOSPHERE & ENVIRONMENT[/divider]
Good vibes flow across the festival before you even enter LiB proper. After minimal waiting time in the car search queue, staff and volunteers enthusiastically “shoo” you into camping grounds and don’t leave you in the (literal) dust as you try to locate the perfect spot. The campgrounds are punctuated with soundcamps and other creative hubs such as art walls and crafting groups. Even if you arrived a day early – a possibility after paying a nominal fee – you’d be fully convinced that the festival has already started.
The walk to festival grounds is undoubtedly rough. If you were an early arrival you could’ve claimed a spot essentially inside of the festival but at the expense of sleep, so if you camped on the outskirts there were several dirt-laden hills separating your home base from musical paradise. The “glass half-full” perspective: coming back from vacation with a booty a la post-surgery Nicki Minaj. Thankfully, The Do LaB installed a few bridges and stairways to make the treks between stages less exhausting.
The LiBridge, one of several walkways built solely for the festival (Photo by Carolyn Craft)
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed once you’re inside, as the schedule is jam-packed with activities (in fact, we’re pretty sure they used a size 6 font on each of their stage lineups). Beyond the three main stages there were several focal points worth checking out. The Temple of Consciousness, a collective of five sub-stages including the Meditation Lookout hill which offers a view of the entire LiB city, hosted dozens of workshops led by tastemakers and front-runners in yoga, dance, meditation, holistic medicine, community-building, and beyond. The Village also oversaw several individual platforms that focused on specialties such as permaculture and essential oils, with one of the highest-attended time slots being the nightly Sunset Ceremony. Other areas of note include the Grand Artique, distinguished by a two-story cabin with plenty of makeshift patio seating, and the Kidz Adventure Zone, where the younger crowd could flock for friendship bracelets and poi lessons.
Yes, Lightning in a Bottle is (and has always been) all ages. It was not uncommon to see an entire family headbanging together without anyone around them even taking notice – and why not? A Memorial Day weekend spent with tens of thousands of other open-minded, fun-loving individuals beats out a boating trip to Tahoe any day. The vibes remain unchanged, if not improved, by the younger presence as LiB-goers are already generally civil and self-moderated.
A family that raves together, stays together. (Photo by Cameron Jordan)
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